An aircraft reconnaissance pod is a device used to gather data as the aircraft is flown. The reconnaissance pod is usually mounted at a hard point below the wing or the fuselage of the aircraft. In a normal duty cycle, the reconnaissance pod is flown on a mission. After the mission is complete, the reconnaissance pod is removed from the aircraft on a wheeled cradle lift or transporter and rolled to a maintenance location. The reconnaissance pod is transferred from the cradle lift to a support stand. The reconnaissance pod is suspended from the support stand using the same suspension hooks that are used to support it from the underside of the aircraft during flight.
Maintenance operations are performed on the reconnaissance pod while it is suspended from the support stand. Such maintenance operations may include, for example, removing gathered data such as exposed film, replenishing expendables, making adjustments, repairing or replacing faulty or damaged structure and components, reprogramming computers, removing equipment not required for the next mission, and installing new equipment that is required for the next mission. When the maintenance work is complete, the reconnaissance pod is transferred back to the cradle lift, returned to the aircraft location, and re-installed on the aircraft.
Although the details of the work performed vary, similar types of maintenance cycles are performed on other aircraft stores as well as a wide variety of other types of equipment. Many types of military and civilian apparatus have become so complex that at least some portions of their maintenance must be performed at specialized maintenance locations away from the normal operating locations.
As described above, a support stand is often required to facilitate the maintenance operations and/or for parts of the initial manufacture of the article. The support stand must hold the article in a convenient position for the maintenance work to be performed. It should also allow movement around the area where the work is being performed, as from test station to test station, even in congested facilities. The physical arrangement of the support stand should not hamper access to the article, and desirably makes access straightforward. Additionally, it is often necessary to disassemble, crate, and transport the support stand from location to location, and/or to store the support stand in as compact a manner as possible. The design of the support stand should facilitate these various functions and requirements.
Existing support stands for reconnaissance pods and the like are operable, but the inventor has recognized that they have shortcomings in the degree to which they allow access to the serviced object, their convenience of use, their maneuverability, their transportability, and their storability. There is a need for an improved support stand. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.